Adar & Ion: Child's Play
by SivanShemesh
Summary: Oh, poor Legolas, his heart has been stolen... Story Complete.


Title: Child's Play

Beta: Aranel

Warning: Fluff, AU.

Summary: Oh, poor Legolas, his heart has been stolen...

Disclaimer:_ The Hobbit _and _ Lord of the Rings_ belong to Tolkien, I will return them – characters, the world, everything. Promise.

Author Note: Written for Teitho Challenge: Capture Theme.

* * *

King Thranduil never ran out of councils to attend and Legolas never ran out of ways to occupy the guards.

Having freshly completed his training as a royal guard, he had never before understood what the well-seasoned guards of the royal family meant by "utmost dedication and loyalty". For a mere elfling, Legolas was...trouble personified.

"I'm going to kill him one day," he muttered.

The others in the section laughed heartily. "When we manage to find him!"

He sighed in defeat. Whoever had taught that elfling to play hide and seek?

"Just you wait, one day, you'll love his antics," his commander told him, a blissful smile on his war-worn face.

He sighed again.

* * *

Legolas had not thought that far in advance. He had simply searched for a place to hide. Then he decided that wasn't good enough. And he found another place to hide. And another. And...

Everywhere looked the same to him now.

He clutched onto his rag-doll tightly. Ada said it would keep him safe. Ada said it was a dwarf. And that it had a green cloak. And a small axe. And it would protect him.

But Legolas was still feeling scared. Just a little bit.

There were trees everywhere, which was normal. It was fairly dark, which was normal since it was evening time. It was really quiet. Which wasn't normal.

_Thump._

_Thump. Thump._

That must have been his heart.

_Stomp._

Wait. What was that?

Legolas crept over.

_Stomp._

The sound was further. Legolas started running to find it before it disappeared. The dead leaves were crunching nosily beneath him. Suddenly he tripped over a branch. _Whoosh_. Ouch. Legolas picked himself up, pulling the dead leaves from his hair.

Wait. Whoosh? Legolas recognized that sound and crouched instinctively behind a clump of bushes. Arrows. Ada said that they were dangerous. But he loved them and one day, he would have his own bow. Ada promised.

"What are you doing alone in the woods, little one?"

Legolas turned around. There was a short creature that talked and had lots of hair on his chin. Legolas glanced at his doll. That must be a dwarf, then. But he had a long nose and a blue cloak. Probably a different kind of dwarf. And there was another one behind him. This one had a normal nose but dark hair, which was strange. Didn't living things have blond hair? But Legolas liked this one at once because he had a bow. Or at least he thought it was one.

They were still waiting for an answer and Legolas declared as bravely as he could, "I'm exploring."

"You should not be exploring alone, at least not when evil can strike anytime, you could get hurt," the dwarf he liked spoke, and added, "Where is your adar?"

"He has a council," Legolas replied carefully.

"He should be with you, keeping you safe."

"But he gave me this." Legolas showed them his little dwarf. He had to defend his ada, hadn't he?

That seemed to satisfy the two dwarves because they looked at each other strangely and fell silent.

"That is adorable," the first dwarf said.

Legolas nodded. Silence. He did not know what to do. He was too old to suck his thumb but he could always nibble it. His gaze wandered back to the bow.

That dwarf continued, "My name is Fíli and this is my brother – Kíli."

Legolas looked automatically at Kíli who held the bow. "Hello," he said, then he mustered his courage and pointed at the bow. "Can I try it?"

"I am not sure about that, you are young, too young," Kíli replied.

"Just once, please," Legolas pleaded.

"It might be too heavy for you," Kíli said.

"But you are smaller than me!" Legolas shot back.

The two dwarves seemed to be taken aback. Legolas wondered if he had said something wrong.

"Alright," Kíli finally agreed, "Come, let's find you a target first."

Legolas could have leaped for joy. Dwarves were nicer than elves, he decided.

Kíli had balanced a huge round fruit on a branch just at chest level. Legolas felt like a grown-up now. He had always watched the older elves training and he knew what to do. He walked in a straight line from his target. They always walked twenty steps so he did the same. He turned expectantly to Kíli.

Kíli smiled approvingly and extended the bow to him.

Legolas had been waiting for this moment. He dropped his doll and received the bow with both hands. It was dark, like Kíli's strange hair. But Legolas could feel that it was made of wood and that made him happy.

He turned it around carefully. It was very simple, no carvings on it. So this must be a toy. But why was this dwarf carrying it around? Maybe it was just like how Legolas carried his little dwarf around.

He ran a finger along the arc. For a toy, it was very smooth and Legolas' finger trembled in excitement as he felt the strength within it. Oh, this was much better than any toy he had ever seen! What would he not give to have a bow?

His eyes shone, mesmerized. The bowstring was neatly plaited and Legolas knew that anything neat meant good. And they said that dwarves never made good products. What a lie!

But the best part was yet to come. Legolas looked at Kíli and the dwarf handed him an arrow. Legolas looked at the fletching. That was neat too, and Legolas remembered the elves talking about arrows that would fly true. He wasn't too sure what that meant. But he knew it was a good thing.

So, how did this go?

Legolas was already out of breath before he had even released a shot. Maybe he was too excited.

"Breathe, little one," Fíli advised.

Step one: breathe. Done. Step two: nock the arrow. Legolas was not too sure about that one. He gave up thinking. He stabilized the arrow on the bowstring, drew it back the way he saw the older elves did it. The bow was indeed very heavy. Legolas couldn't pull it back all the way. He quickly released the arrow just as his hand began to shake.

Legolas wasn't sure what happened but the fruit disappeared. And Fíli and Kíli were looking at him in shock. And he had forgotten to breathe again.

"I do believe we have a natural over here." A new voice came behind them.

"Radagast the Brown, what brings you here?" Kíli asked, looking somewhat concerned.

"Legolas Thranduilion, what are you doing here alone? Where are the guards?" the brown-cloaked Istari asked the elfling, entirely ignoring the dwarves.

"Still playing hide and seek?" Legolas replied innocently.

Fíli and Kíli grinned knowingly.

"Come, little one, we should hurry before your father will…" Radagast started to say, then gave up and simply carried the elfling into his sled.

But Legolas was past caring what his father might do. He had touched a bow! He had released an arrow! And it was easier than he had thought! He was going to tell ada that. Ada would be so proud of him.

But suddenly he sobered up. He had left his little dwarf on the ground.

But oh, the bow... That had been so much better! Could ada give him a toy bow just like the one he used? Oh, that would be perfect! That would be the best day of his life! And if ada said no? Oh, then he could become a dwarf! Anyway, dwarves were nice. And if that was a toy bow, certainly their practice bows and their proper bows were even better!

* * *

"We should return to the others," Fíli advised his brother.

Kíli picked up the dwarf doll and kept it with him. "I hope we will see the little one again."

* * *

King Thranduil waited in the entrance, accompanied by his anxious guards. There was a collective sigh of relief as the Istari carried the sleeping elfing from the sled.

The guards were whispering amongst themselves.

"How adorable," one of them said.

"Didn't I say that you would love him?"

There was a sigh.

Radagast approached them with a grin. "I believe I have something that belongs to you," he said as Legolas stirred awake.

"Where have you been? I have been so worried about you," Thranduil gathered his son in a tight embrace, and noticing something amiss, he asked, "Where is your doll?"

Legolas was too groggy from sleep to reply.

"It fell on the road," the Istari answered.

"Radagast, I can't thank you enough for–" Thranduil began.

"I want to be a dwarf," Legolas muttered.

_Fin_


End file.
